Chapter 18

[A/N: Trigger Warning! This chapter will be somewhat dark, but not that darkest!]

Two hours later after the darkness of night has fallen, after the new crew members were fed, the ship made it around the long detour of the treacherous waters close to the middle of the island, but when they made it to the end of the island, they already knew they were too late. The Filthy Forest was now a blazing inferno which lit up the night's sky, burning so hot that Ronin couldn't even risk landing the ship.

"Noooo, Grandmother!" Rory yelled as they were about to jump from the ship, only to be held down by Ronin. "Let me go! Our people are in there! I have to save them!" Rory yelled with tears in their eyes, almost pleading.

"I'm sorry, but if I let you go, you'll only be giving up your life with theirs. Just sit tight while we try to put out the fire." Ronin commanded.

Rory wanted to protest and break free from Ronin's hold, but he was just too strong, so in the end, Rory ended up crying into Ronin's chest, heartbroken from losing the last of their family. With his hands full consoling his newest crew member, Ronin looked to Devon and gave him a knowing look, which Devon responded with a nod of affirmation.

As Devon jumped to the bow of the ship from the crows nest, he quickly tried to perform a water Jutsu yo put the fire out, but a gunshot hit the railing just in front of him, forcing him to jump back to safety.

Looking in the direction that the shop came from, the crew saw two pirate ships full of disgusting and rowdy pirates either waving their mugs and guns, or violating some of the female villagers they kidnapped from the forest. One pirate with a trifold hat, matted brown hair, and beard, that looked completely filthy, stepped forward and looked to be the captain.

"I'm 'fraid I can't let you save this here forest. The Navy captain promised us pardons and gold if we rid the island of these here savages, and I don't plan on giving up free money!" yelled the pirate captain, waving his gun in the air.

'That rotten fucking captain! As soon as I get my order from the fucking blacksmith this island is done!' Ronin thought to himself in anger. For some reason, even though they just met, seeing Rory break down and cry over the loss of their family, really infuriated Ronin, and vowed that these pirates wouldn't get away with an easy death.

Unfortunately for these pirates, Ronin has been practicing Chakra Threads ever since he came to this world, and felt that he could near Sasori's skills with them, minus the puppeteering, as he has yet to make anything into a puppet besides the random fish he caught on his tiny island.

Ronin always felt as though Chakra Threads we're one of the most secretly OP and underappreciated Jutsu in the entire Naruto universe. Even if you think using puppets are lame, the chakra threads themselves are seriously powerful! They are literally threads of pure chakra, which means they are conductive to different chakra natures. They are nearly indestructible, as even Tsunade couldn't have a hope of breaking them.

The Naruto universe only limited them to use puppets, but in truth, Chakra Threads were a blank canvas, only limited by ones imagination, and boy did Ronin have some ideas.

In a great rage, hundreds of visible chakra threads shot out from Ronin's fingers and rocketed towards the pirates before painfully stabbing into the spines of each pirate and attaching to their nervous systems. Though Ronin wanted to use the threads and rip out the spines of the pirates, killing them right then, he controlled himself and did his best to hold back as he shot lightning through the threads, making the threads look like fiery electrical currents. Unfortunately, he used a tad too much power for some as the lightning overwhelmed them, their bodies visibly melting from the intense currents.

With the smell of burning flesh as they watched the pirates die painfully, the new crew members were stuck between feeling happy watching the pirates die, pity at the extremely painful way they died, and fear of Ronin for being able to easily inflict that kind of death on so many prayers without lifting a finger.

When the pirates that didn't die right away were knocked out, Ronin lifted them all and brought them onto the ship, bound together by his chakra threads. Another thing Ronin had been working on, was Fuinjutsu, hence how he was able to sound proof his room. Ronin has officially passed the basic level of Fuinjutsu and has stepped into the realm of advanced usage, allowing him to make more complicated seals, such as the Torture Seals he placed on each other the pirates.

The Torture Seal was a nasty tag that was a combination of Genjutsu and Ninjutsu, which trapped the victim in a perpetual nightmare while they experience every negative emotion or sensation at heightened levels. It was an almost evil seal that only those with the strongest of wills could break through.

Knowing that thanks to his massive Chakra pools and his mediocre chakra control, he was nearly drained of chakra, Ronin rushed to carry the pirates to the built-in cells of the ship and once in place, used almost all of his energy to activate each pirate's seals at once, their tortured screams bring a smile to his tired face.

Dragging himself back to the main deck, Ronin slumped to the floor and leaned against the mainsail, struggling to fight the effects of his Chakra Exhaustion.

Nobody said anything, not even Devon, Meli, or Bonney, as even they were shocked by just how scarily powerful Ronin was. To them, Ronin was one of the most powerful people in the whole South Blue, and possibly a good part if the Grandline. They were just thankful that the man was their captain and would use his impressive strength to protect them.

Seeing everyone frozen staring at him, Ronin use his remaining energy to give out orders. "I'm sorry for your loss, but the forest and more than likely everyone in it is gone. But, we can't stay idle. Devon, use your Jutsu to put that fire out. Once the fire is done, Meli, steer us to dock on the shore. We can't leave until we get our order from the blacksmith. Bonney, I want you to command half of the crew to clear and space and make camp once we land on shore. In the meantime, Rory, I want you to take the other half of the crew, use the sail boats we have, and take over those ships while you save those captured girls. Move out!" Ronin commanded weakly as his eyelids grew heavy and he drifted off to sleep.

Some time later, Ronin began to wake up feeling extremely sore and drained. 'I really need to be careful with Chakra Exhaustion. I remember reading that in some extreme cases, one can even died from Chakra Exhaustion, and I'm not trying to go out like that!' Ronin thought to himself as he resolved to work harder on his chakra control to get a better handle on his enormous chakra pool.

Still feeling a hint if grogginess, Ronin left his cabin and walked out to the main deck, only to find the ship docked on the shore along with the two pirate ships just like he ordered. Along the now blackened shore, makeshift camps dotted the coastline as the whole camp seemed to have taken on a somber mood, until the girl that he saved from the tavern owner, who he found to be named, Hitomi, announced his presence to everyone.

"Everyone, the Captain is awake!" Hitomi yelled far too excitedly for them to not really know each other, which made Ronin wonder just how long they were out.

The next second, Devon and Meli flashed to where he was, Meli jumping on him to give him a great big hug. A few short moments later, Bonney and Rory rushed to join them, Bonney joining Meli in a great big hug.

"Don't you ever do that again!! I..I thought I lost you again!" Bonney yelled as she buried her face in Ronin's chest and tried to hide her sniffling.

"A-are you okay, Ro?! You we passed out for nearly a week! Nothing we tried would wake you up, not even Bonney's.. private method work." Meli exclaimed as a blush came on her first.

Ignoring the notion that he was more than likely raped in his coma, Ronin looked to Devon, hoping that someone reasonable will give him the answers he needed.

Taking a long drag from his cigarette, Devon blow out a big plume of smoke and began his report. "Though I'm not a doctor, as I'm sure you already know, it looks like in your rage, you suffered from the chakra exhaustion you warned us about. All of the orders you gave before you passed out were completed successfully, but we had no idea how to wake you up from the coma you were in, so we had no choice but to wait for you to be done with your beauty sleep. Also, we ended up killing those pirates you were torturing. Their constant screams were kind of bumming us out. I already sealed their bodies so we can sell them at the next base." Devon reported.

Hearing this, everything was just as he expected. "I understand, so, what has happened in the time I was out of commission?" Ronin asked as he finally managed to calm the girls down.

"Well, first, we held a funeral service for all of those lost in the fire, which was led by Rory. Next, our ordered was finally finished. Luckily for us, the blacksmith we went to was one of the few places that managed to avoid the fire. They are still in boxes in the cargo hold, as it didn't feel right to open them without you. Finally, we need to hurry up a sail for the Grandline, now. During my recon of the city, I heard reports that Navy reinforcements will be arriving soon to take control of the island." Devon said, as he looked to Ronin curious to what he'll decide.

Hearing the news, Ronin slowly nodded his head and was thankful that he woke up when he did. "I see, then I say we leave the Marines a little anonymous surprise for when they show up. Have everyone pack up everything and set sail on the Static. I'll seal the two ships away and finish up things here before I join you guys. It's time we finally set foot in the Grandline." Ronin declared for all to hear, even the new crew members feeling a hint of excitement at the new adventure ahead of them.

Rushing to complete orders so that they won't be forced to live in the burnt out memories of their old home, the adults of the crew began packing and organizing things onto the ship, while the children either helped by cleaning up what they could, or playing around as warriors to keep themselves occupied. Once things settled down, Ronin wondered if he should open up the equivalent of the Ninja Academy for his people, which could help build loyal soldiers from a young age.

Once the blackened shore was clear and everyone was already on the ship, preparing to sail off, Ronin decided to put on a little show. Making a few Lightning Clones, Ronin began using all of his skills to quickly drawing seals all over both of the ships. Since storage seals were somewhat basic level, Ronin was done within a few moments, and as the last seal formation was placed, two of his clones placed their hands on the pirates ships, and in a poof of smoke, the ships disappeared and transformed into two giant storage scrolls.

Once he gets to Master level at Fuinjutsu, Ronin will be able to apply a far bigger storage area in his seals, which would make the scrolls themselves to be smaller as well, but for this was the level he was at. Needless to say, everyone was still astonished as even Devon gave an impressed whistle.

Ignoring the praise of his crew, Ronin turned around and gave his full attention for what he was about to do, because if he wasn't careful, he could very easily put himself into another coma or worse, just straight up die from the amount of chakra he was about to lose.

Using the scrolls he got and memories from the show Naruto as inspiration, Ronin created a devastating Jutsu he didn't think he would ever use, since it would cause massive amounts of indiscriminate death, and he didn't see himself doing anything so homicidal, but this island was a different case.

The Jutsu had many different stages and could never be performed if under attack, as it required the user to have 100% focus, as even the tiniest of mistakes could kill them as well. If this were to be ranked on the show Naruto, this Jutsu would easily require one of Kage level chakra to perform it. Luckily, Ronin now had a Chakra pool that was nearing the levels of several Kage, the only thing was he just didn't have the Kage strength or level of control over said chakra.

After questioning himself a million times and taking a deep breath to steady himself, Ronin began performing the long sequence of hand signs that were required for the massive Jutsu. "Hades Judgement!" Ronin shouted, before he threw his hands into the ground right away, molding chakra deep into the earth and spanning it as far as he could.

Deep underneath the island, giant Chams were being formed, eventually spreading throughout all of the island, while to the residents on top, the registered it a nothing but a small earthquake, which wasn't uncommon for the island.

Then, within these chasms, lava began to rage towards the surface like an angry dragon, quickly filling up the many chasms that now ran throughout the island. Now completely drenched in sweat from both nerves and the energy he's exerted so far, when the chasms were filled to a certain level, Ronin took a deep breath and actives the final stage of the Jutsu, quickly bolting away from the island once he was done, as his job was done at that point, and if he didn't get far away, he'd share that same fate as the residents of Ivory Island.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Marine Captain's POV)

In the main part of the island, the Marine captain was sitting at his desk, stressing over the loss that he has suffered every since the people of Filthy Forest attacked. "I'm glad I tricked those pirates to get rid of those damned savages for me, but I'm still in trouble here. How do I explain to the Rear Admiral that's coming that not only did I lose several men, important files, my surveillance system, and all of our treasure, but that none of us can fucking remember what the hell happened!" the Captain yelled as smacked his desk, shaking both the desk and the room.

But something strange happened, as when the captain expected a quick little rumble of the room, the shaking not only didn't stop, it became increasingly more erratic. It wasn't until he heard the horrified screams from outside of his window that the captain felt as though something truly horrible has happened. Rushing outside of the base with many other Marines trailing him, the captain stopped in his tracks and looked around in horror as he struggled to stay on his feet.

Giant, fiery chasms now covered the entire island, some so big that they swallowed whole buildings. From the chasms, lava shoot out and devastated whole areas, while the screams of men, women, and children who were having their skin and flesh melted off, filled his eyes. Hell. That was the only word that seemed fitting when the captain watched the the once beautiful, white island turn into a flaming, hellish nightmare.

Doing their best to dodge the lava, one if the captains subordinates ran up to him, covered in sweat and soot. "Captain, I'm getting reports that the whole island is being destroyed by this lava! Our ships and the entire port and coastline have been completely decimated pillars of lava or completely sunken into the earth as the chasms continue to expand and fill with lava. I-I'm afraid the is no escape, Sir. We're trapped!" the Marine reported in hopes that the captain would have an answer and save them all.

Instead, the captain merely fell to his knees, and looked up into the sky that was now darkening thanks to all of the soot and noxious fumes in the air from the lava "This is it. We're finally being punished for all of the wrongful sins we have committed, all thanks to that disgusting, racist, fat bitch, St Karen. I hope judgment befalls upon her, just as it has us. It was an honor serving with you men." the Captain said with a hint of finality, as he knew this was it for them.

The next second, the ground beneath the captain and the other Marines fell out, causing them to fall deep into the chasm. Before he could even register what happened, searing pain all over his body took all of the captains attention. He felt every inch of his body burn and then quickly melt off in chunks as he slowly dipped into the lava feet first. It wasn't until well into his abdomen that the captain was finally granted death.

All over the island similar scenes were playing out, as regardless of age or station, each ignorant person face Ronin's judgement. Nearly half an hour later, the Jutsu has finally ended, but there was nothing left. Thanks to the deep, lava-filled chasms, and that ravishing waters around the island, Ivory Island was literally melted down and washed away out to sea.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

(Ronin's POV)

After Ronin had flashed onto the sit, he was forced to sit down and catch his breath. Once again, thanks to his poor chakra control, he had nearly drained all of his chakra, but luckily this time he was giving his complete attention to the Jutsu instead of being in a state of rage, so he didn't feel nearly as drained as he did before he passed out.

Once the saw that he was somewhat stable, they were about to ask him what he did, but that was when the light show started. Watching Ivory Island get literally torn apart in a fiery mess, most of the crew didn't know how to feel as some were scared, others threw up over the rails once they imagined how many people died, but a short while later, they all felt happy at seeing Ivory Island finally get what they deserved.

The residents had beaten, enslaved, murdered, raped, and with the World Noble they have even eaten them, all until they have nearly drove their people extinct by burning down the forest. So not only did they not feel remorse for the island being destroyed, they began thanking them for offering them the closure they felt they would never receive.

When the last of the island disappeared from the world forever, Ronin felt a hand on his shoulder and looked over to see Devon there looking at him genuinely worried. "So, now that it's all gone, how do you feel? I know making the decision and actually doing it must've been hard for you" Devon said as he looked back at the now empty sea, amazed at the strength of the man he considered both his friend and his captain.

Hearing the question, Ronin let out a heavy sigh. "Well, I'll definitely have trouble sleeping for the next couple of nights, but I don't regret my actions. That island, outside of the forest was filled with nothing but evil and corrupt people. I heard even the children would make a game out of tormenting people and desecrating corpses. That kind of evil couldn't be allowed to breed and corrupt this world any further." Ronin said with a grave finality.

Ronin and Devon were going to continue with a different conversation, but Meli shouted out the words he had been waiting for so long to hear, which made her sound like an angel to his ears.

"Reverse Mountain ahead! Everyone, brace for impact as we enter the Grandline!" Meli shouted in a cherry expression that put a small smile on everyone's tired faces. Finally, they were going to enter a new part of the world and leave their troubles behind.